Kerala gold smuggling case: Swapna Suresh writes to PM, seeks CBI probe

Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the 2020 Kerala gold smuggling case, on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter as she believes to have been made a scapegoat by “several influential people”.In her letter, Suresh said many other accused, like former principal secretary of Kerala chief minister – M Sivasankar, was leading a normal life unlike her.She said she was only a junior-level employee in the United Arab Emirates consulate and her job profile was to obey the orders of her superiors, but now she was singled out and the whole blame has been allegedly pinned on her.Suresh believes a thorough CBI investigation will help unravel the role of many influential people in the smuggling case.

“I was simply obeying orders of my line managers and doing this through the UAE consulate, and I had no say in the matters. When it was brought to light by the Customs Department, they left us stranded behind bars for 15 months for not disclosing anything,” she said in her letter to the PM, adding that Sivasankar was in jail for three months but the state government took a lenient view, got him released and reinstated him.“Deprived and unfortunate employees like me will solely be punished, but the real accused will escape from underneath your nose,” she said.The prime accused in the case also reiterated her earlier charges against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his family members, senior IAS officers, former ministers, among others. She said smuggling through the consulate was a serious issue and a CBI inquiry will fish out the truth.She also requested an audience with the prime minister, stating that her life was in danger after she gave a statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.